Getting married in Alicante when you live abroad

More and more of the couples who write to us live in London, Dublin, Amsterdam or Stockholm. Some are Spanish and moved abroad. Others have no link to Spain at all and simply fell in love with this coast on holiday.

We tell all of them the same thing: we love weddings from abroad. They are the ones people enjoy most, because the wedding stops being one afternoon and becomes a long weekend with everyone you love.

Here is why Alicante works so well for a destination wedding, and how we plan it without you flying over every month.

An international airport 15 minutes away

This is the first thing couples from abroad mention. Alicante-Elche airport is about a 15-minute drive from Elche and from the centre of Alicante. It is one of the busiest airports in Spain.

There are direct flights from almost every UK and Irish airport, Scandinavia, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Poland. Many are low-cost, so getting here is affordable for your guests.

For guests landing on the day itself, we arrange transfers from the airport. Nobody gets lost looking for the venue.

Good weather almost all year

Alicante gets close to 3,000 hours of sunshine a year. From April to October the whole wedding can be outdoors. In winter there are plenty of days at 18 or 20 °C, perfect for drinks in the sun.

That gives you something you rarely have at home: freedom to choose your date. If May and September are taken, October or even March are real options.

Hotels for every guest

When people travel for a wedding, where they sleep matters as much as the dinner. The province has it all:

• Beach hotels in Alicante, San Juan or the Elche coast, for guests who want to make a holiday of it.
• Boutique hotels in Altea or the old towns of Alicante and Elche, for you and your close family.
• Country houses and venues with rooms inland, so everyone can stay together.
• Apartments for groups of friends staying several days.

We negotiate room blocks near the venue and put together a short guide for your guests: how to get here, where to stay and what to do around the wedding.

More than just the wedding day

Weddings from abroad usually last three days. A welcome dinner the night before, the wedding itself and a farewell lunch the day after, ideally by the sea.

In between, your guests can see the Palm Grove of Elche (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Santa Bárbara castle, the white village of Altea or a local winery. The wedding becomes a trip too.

How we plan it without you flying over every month

1. A first video call. Free, no strings attached. Tell us the wedding you have in mind, the guest count and the budget.
2. We visit for you. We go to the venues, film the walkthrough and send photos, honest notes and real prices.
3. A first trip to see the two or three finalists and taste the menu.
4. We run everything from here. Suppliers, contracts, payments, paperwork and guests. You approve, we chase.
5. A second trip a few days before the wedding. On the day, we are there from set-up until the last dance.

We speak English with you and Spanish with everyone else. One contact, one clear budget, no surprises.

What about the paperwork?

Most couples from abroad choose a symbolic ceremony: they sign the legal part at home, and here they have the ceremony they actually want, wherever and however they like. It is by far the simplest route.

A civil wedding in Spain is possible too, but it takes months of paperwork and one of you normally needs to be resident. We will tell you honestly whether your case is realistic.

We love weddings from abroad

We really do. Watching two families from two countries dance together at a venue in Elche is one of the best parts of our job. If you are thinking about getting married in Alicante, tell us about your wedding or send us a WhatsApp. The first video call is on us.